Ryan Murphy Wants ‘Pose’, co-created with HUMANITAS Trustee Brad Falchuk, to Be ‘Uplifting’ for LGBTQ Community in Trump Era

While LGBTQ rights have been ushered to the sidelines under the Trump administration, Ryan Murphy said he aims to do his part for the LGBTQ community with his new FX series “Pose.”

“Our community is under such attack from this administration,” Murphy said at the New York premiere on Thursday. “I wanted to put something optimistic and uplifting out there.”

Trump had made several efforts to roll back gay and transgender protections since assuming office, including his signed ban for transgender individuals to serve in the U.S. military.

Murphy continued, “I just want (viewers) to be entertained and enlightened. I want them to love these characters and realize that all our struggles are the same. We all have dreams and we all want to be loved.”

“He is as brazen as he is gay,” producer Janet Mock said of Murphy on the carpet. “He uses that in his storytelling.”

Murphy and Mock were joined by co-creators Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals; transgender cast members Mj Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar and Angelica Ross; stars Evan Peters, Kate Mara and James Van Der Beek; and many other members of the cast and crew who were excited to share the project with the world.

“Pose” is set in New York in the 1980s and explores the realm of ball culture in juxtaposition with the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe. The series has already made television history, boasting the largest cast of transgender series regulars and of recurring LGBTQ actors.

At the screening, Murphy urged the audience to feel and react out loud. The crowd responded by cheering every time a quintessential ’80s song blared and booing whenever Trump Tower panned the screen.

The creators have one goal with “Pose”: To educate people by introducing them to a whole new world they may know nothing about.

“Television is the most powerful medium,” Falchuk said. “It’s the best way to get people to think about things because it’s happening in their living rooms.”

“We aren’t a monolith,” Canals added. “We deserve to have the full breadth of our experiences on television.”